BREAST-CANCER DETECTION - MAPS OF 2 SAN-FRANCISCO BAY AREA COUNTIES

Objectives. This study describes the incidence of late-stage and in si tu breast cancer among White: women, using specialized mapping techniq ues that reflect incidence adjusted for the population at risk, and ap plies those maps to characterize areas with high and low risk of breas t cancel. Methods. Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End R esults (SEER) database and the US Census Bureau were used to study the geographic distribution of breast cancer at the census-tract level in 2 San Francisco Bay Area counties for the years 1978 through 1982. So ciodemographic characteristics of areas with high and low incidence of the stage-specific disease were compared by means of a linear discrim inant function. Results. For late-stage breast cancer, the most import ant variables in discriminating high-risk from low-risk areas were col lege education percentage of residents aver age 65, and median income. The strongest ecologic indicators of high risk for in situ breast can cer were median income and percentage unemployed. Conclusions. This st udy demonstrates the usefulness of census tracts and sociodemographic measures it income and education in describing in situ and late-stage breast cancer.